Dubai, UAE, April 25, 2024 – The Centre for Finance, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) announces The Future Skills Forum, a forum for industry leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs to discuss the workforce of the future.
In an era dominated by rapid technological progress, the critical importance of upskilling and reskilling for countries, companies and individuals cannot be overstated. The World Economic Forum predicts that 50% of the current skills will be outdated in the next 5 years, which requires significant reskilling efforts from nations and organisations.
In the Middle East, governments and companies are putting workforce development at the core of their strategies. For example, upskilling in Artificial Intelligence is a core priority of UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031. And Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes the Human Capability Development Programme as one of its main pillars.
But training, upskilling and reskilling millions is a monumental task that brings many challenges, from the obsolescence of existing skills to the emergence of new jobs, from the need to build frameworks for continuous education to strategies to implement large scale programmes.
Future Skills Forum Overview
CFTE will host the Future Skills Forum, which will take place on May 8, 2024, in Dubai’s iconic venue, Museum of the Future in the UAE.
This event will bring together 500 industry leaders from the industry, government, and entrepreneurship fields to discuss the strategies and challenges of preparing the workforce for the future in the new era of technology.
This event aims to feature various roundtable discussions, each chaired by leading innovators in their respective industries. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to keynote addresses from distinguished thought leaders such as Christopher Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond, MBE. And in order to prepare the next generation to the opportunities of a world of technology, the Forum will feature an Ideathon mentored by dozens of senior professionals.
Full Agenda for the Future Skills Forum
Policy and Industry Leader Roundtables Session to Empower the Workforce
The forum will host six different roundtables, each involving 12 industry leaders from the industry, government, and tech companies.
7 themes have been chosen as a priority for the first Future Skills Forum, namely Countries / Companies / Regulators / Entrepreneurs / Women / Students / Skills.
- Roundtable 1: Bridging the skills gap at country level (Chair: Allen Baby, Emirati Institute of Finance)
- Roundtable 2: Future skills in an AI world (Chair: Imane Elmadjoubi, Microsoft)
- Roundtable 3: Skills for fast growing startups (Chair: Nameer Khan, MENA Fintech Association)
- Roundtable 4: Roles of regulators in upskilling and reskilling the industry (Chair: Nouran Youssef, Arab Monetary Fund)
- Roundtable 5: Creating the workforce of tomorrow (Chair: Arun Mehta, FAB)
- Roundtable 6: Women leadership in a tech world (Chair: Tram Anh Nguyen, CFTE)
- Ideathon for Young Innovators (Host: Saqr Ereiqat, Trade Dog Group)
The sessions of the Future Skills Forum will be summarised in Industry Reports that will be shared to the global community subsequently to the Forum.
Hackathon for 300 UAE Nationals
The Future Skills Forum will host an Ideathon for 300 Emirati graduates to support the employability and skills of young UAE nationals.
This Ideathon will be focusing on fintech, AI, Open Banking, and Blockchain and other important trends in the industry. The main objective of this challenge is to give an opportunity for emerging talents to sharpen their problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills while addressing real-world industry challenges. Dozens of experienced professionals will be mentoring and supporting the young innovators during the programme.
Launch of the CFTE MENA Office at the Future Skills Forum
CFTE will be hosting an Evening Reception to celebrate the launch of CFTE in the Middle East, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Evening Reception will feature keynote speeches and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, but will be first and foremost a moment for CFTE’s global community to come together, network and enjoy interesting discussions.
This is an invitation-only event where we expect many of our friends and partners to join from around the world to celebrate our milestone.
Attendees will have the opportunity to reconnect and network with industry experts, influencers, and main stakeholders at the Museum of the Future in Dubai.
Point of Contact: mena@cfte.education
About CFTE
The Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) is a global education platform that aims to equip finance professionals with the skills needed to succeed in the rapidly changing world of finance. With over 100,000 alumni from more than 100 countries, CFTE offers courses in Fintech, Open Banking, Digital Payments, and AI, designed by industry leaders from major fintech firms, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies.
For More Information
To learn more about the Future Skills Forum and CFTE’s educational offerings, please contact mena@cfte.education or visit our website.
